Helmet for riding vehicle

Abstract: In a helmet (1) for riding a vehicle, a chin cover (14) is expandably and contractibly upholstered at a lower edge of a chin covering portion (3a) for covering the user's chin. At least a portion of the chin cover (14) is formed of a mesh material (15), so that the egress of a user's breath through the mesh material (15) is promoted by wind flowing along a lower surface of the chin cover (14). Thus, it is possible to inhibit a wind noise due to the ingress of wind into the chin covering portion (3a) of the cap body (3) and to eliminate the retention of the user's breath in the chin covering portion (3a).

Description: The field of the present invention is helmets for use by an occupant of a vehicle such as a motorcycle or a racing car, and particularly, improvements in helmets of a type having a chin covering portion provided in a cap body for covering a user's chin, and a chin cover expandably and contractibly upholstered at a lower edge of the chin covering portion for covering the user's chin. If an occupant, for example, on a motorcycle uses a helmet of the above-described structure, it is possible to prevent the inclusion of running wind between the chin covering portion and the user's chin by the chin cover, even when travelling at a high speed, thereby inhibiting the generation of wind noise. The chin cover of the prior art helmet is made of a soft foam of synthetic resin material and has no air-permeability, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No.16180/93. In the prior art helmet, a user's breath may stay in the chin covering portion and condense on an inner surface of a shield plate, because the chin cover is non-permeable as described above. DE-A-2846636 describes a helmet having the precharacterising features of claim 1. WO 86/05369 describes a full face helmet having a one piece shell. A portion of flexible material is fitted to the inside surface of the lower portion of the shell in order to provide an air seal between the helmet and a chin of a wearer of the helmet. The flexible material may comprise a convoluted strip of flexible material, flexible brush element or a strip of fabric mesh. According to the present invention, a helmet is provided which has the characterising features of claim 1. With the construction in accordance with the present invention, it is possible to inhibit the ingress of air flow into the chin covering portion of a cap body while travelling at a high speed and to promote egress of the user's breath through the mesh material by air flow flowing along a lower surface of the chin cover. Thus, it is possible to inhibit the generation of wind noise and to inhibit condensation on the inner surface of a visor due to the retention of the user's breath. Furthermore, when the helmet is put on or taken off, this can be performed without any obstruction by the auxilliary cap body and the chin cover, by previously turning the auxilliary cap body to the lifted position. For a better understanding of the present invention, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig.1 is a perspective view of a helmet for riding a vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig.2 is a perspective view of the helmet with its auxilliary cap body turned to a lifted position; Fig.3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in Fig.1; Fig.4 is a bottom view of the helmet; and Fig.5 is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by 5 in Fig.3. Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate a helmet for riding a vehicle. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a cap body of the helmet is comprised of a main cap body 2 and an auxiliary cap body 3. The main cap body 2 is of a so-called jet or open-face type so as to cover a user's head excluding the face. Therefore, the main cap body 2 has a large window 4 at a front surface of the main cap body 2, which is open at a lower edge thereof. The auxiliary cap body 3 includes a chin-covering portion 3a curved convexly, and a pair of ear portions 3b, 3b extending upwardly from left and right opposite ends of the chin-covering portion 3a and carried on left and right sides of the main cap body 2 through pivots 6. The auxiliary cap body 3 is capable of pivoting between a lowered position A (Fig.1) and a lifted position B (Fig.2). Thus, the auxiliary cap body 3 closes, at the lowered position A, a lower half of the large window 4 at the main cap body 2 to cover a user's chin by the chin-covering portion 3a, so that the upper half of the large window 4 is defined as a small window 5. On the other hand, if the auxiliary cap body is turned to the lifted position B, the chin-covering portion 3a is shifted to a position above the large window 4 to open this large window 4 entirely. A lock mechanism 19 is provided between the main and auxiliary cap bodies 2 and 3. This lock mechanism 19 is capable of locking the auxiliary cap body 3 at the lowered position A. A light-permeable shield plate 7 is pivotally carried on the auxiliary cap body 3 coaxially with the pivots 6 to open and close the small window 5 through a pivoting movement. Fig.3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cap body 1. As shown in Fig.3, the main cap body 2 is comprised of a shell 8 made of FRP, a shock-absorbing liner 9 made of an expanded polystyrene material mounted on an inner surface of the shell 8, and a fitting pad 10 made of a urethane foam material further lined on the liner 9. A chin belt 11 is riveted at its base end to the shell 8. The auxiliary cap body 3 is comprised of a shell 12 injection-moulded from a synthetic resin material, and a chin pad 13 made substantially of a urethane foam material and lined only on the portion of the shell 12 which faces the large window 4. Referring to Figs.3 and 4, a chin cover 14 is upholstered at a lower edge of the chin covering portion 3a for covering the chin of a user U from below. The chin cover 14 is crescent-shaped as viewed in plan, as shown in Fig.4. A front region of the chin cover 14 is made of a mesh material 15 and a rear region thereof is made of a fabric material 16. A rear edge of the fabric material 16 is crimped so that it can be expanded and contracted laterally. Such a rear edge has a resilient string made of rubber 17 sewn therein. Alternatively, a trimming member 18 made of a synthetic resin material may be mounted on the lower edge of the shell 12 of the chin covering portion 3a, and may be integrally provided with an integral protrusion 18a which protrudes inwardly from a lower edge of the trimming member 18. The chin cover 14 is sewn at its front edge to the protrusion 18a. When the user U wears the cap body 1, the main cap body 2 is first put on the head of the user U in a configuration in which the auxiliary cap body 3 has been previously turned to the lifted position B and retained there. When doing so, the main cap body 2 can easily be put on without any obstruction by the chin covering portion 3a of the auxiliary cap body 3 and the chin cover 14 and hence the user's hair need not be disheveled. If the auxiliary cap body 3 is then turned to the lowered position A, the chin cover 14 is first stretched by the chin of the user U, and then resiliently returns to cover a lower portion of the user's chin. If the user U puts on the cap body 1 and drives, for example, a motorcycle, air passing along a lower surface of the cap body 1 is guided to the chin cover 14 to flow rearwardly, especially when driving the motorcycle at a high speed, so that the wind is prevented from being included into the chin covering portion 3a. Thus, it is possible to inhibit the generation of a wind noise. Moreover, since the wind flows at high speed at the lower surface of the chin cover 14, particularly at the front region thereof, the pressure is reduced around such a region. Therefore, the egress of a user's breath from the chin covering portion 3a through the mesh material 15 is promoted, thereby inhibiting condensation on the inner surface of the shield plate 7 due to the retention of the user's breath. In order to take of the cap body 1, a reverse procedure from the above-described procedure is performed. More specifically, the auxilliary cap body 3 is first turned to the lifted position B and then, the main cap body 2 is removed. Even in this case, the dishevelling of the user's hair by the auxilliary cap body 3 and the chin cover 14 is hindered. If the user wearing the cap body 1 turns the auxilliary cap body 3 to the lifted position B, he or she can smoke, eat and drink through the large window 4 of the main cap body 2. It will be understood that various modifications in design to the above-described embodiment can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the claims. For example, the present invention is also applicable to a usual integral full face type cap body in which a main cap body 2 and auxilliary cap body 3 are integral with each other.

Claims: A helmet for riding a vehicle, having a cap body (2,3) and a chin covering portion (3a) provided in said cap body for covering a chin of a user (U), said cap body comprising: a main cap body (2) having a large window (4) opened at a lower front end of the main cap body (2); an auxilliary cap body (3) forming said chin covering portion (3a) and having a pair of ear portions (3b) carried on left and right sidewalls of said main cap body (2) for turning movement of the auxilliary cap body (3) between a lowered position (A), in which a lower half of said large window (4) is covered with said chin covering portion (3a) to define an upper half of said large window (4) into a small window (5), and a lifted position (B), in which said large window (4) is entirely opened; and an expandable and contractible chin cover (14) for covering a lower face of the chin of the user (U), said chin cover (14) being provided at a lower edge of said chin covering portion (3a), characterised in that a front region (15) of said chin cover (14) is made of a mesh material promoting the egress of user's breath due to the reduced pressure around such region when the wind is flowing at high speed at the lower surface of the chin cover (14) and a rear region (16) made of fabric material guiding the air passing along the lower surface of the cap body (1) to flow rearwardly, the rear edge of the fabric material further comprising a resilient string (17), for resiliently urging at least a rear portion of said chin cover (14) into a contracted state. A helmet for riding a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said chin cover (14) is crescent-shaped. A helmet for riding a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said resilient string (17) comprises a rubber string sewn at the rear edge of said chin cover (14).

Inventors: TANIUCHI FUJIO, TANIUCHI, FUJIO
Applicants: SHOEI CO LTD, KABUSHIKI KAISHA SHOEI
Application year: 1994
Main classification: A42B3
IPC codes: A42B3